Saint John, NB ­ - This October marks the fifth year of Irving Oil’s Fuel the Care program. The program helps families pay for fuel when they drive between home and hospital for their children’s medical care. To celebrate this anniversary, Irving Oil will donate $200,000 to the program this month.

 

Since 2002, Irving’s Fuel the Care has provided more than $1 million in gift certificates, assisting more than 12,000 children and their families in Atlantic Canada and New England. In addition, Irving employees continue to participate in a weekly Fuel the Care Casual Day program, raising an additional $9,000 in support of the program in 2006 alone.

 

“When a child has to visit or stay in a hospital for medical care, the last thing a parent should have to worry about is travel costs,’ says Lisa Savidant, Community Relations Coordinator for Irving Oil. “Through Fuel the Care, we hope to lessen that stress and keep families together during what is often a difficult time. The IWK Health Centre in Halifax, the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. John’s and the Saint John Regional Hospital all do fantastic work in helping sick children. We are proud to continue our partnership with these hospitals.”

 

The IWK, Saint John Regional Hospital and the Janeway treat children with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, asthma and other childhood diseases. Often, the children and their families live outside the immediate hospital area.

 

“Fuel the Care eased the financial strain of going between our home and the hospital in the months after our babies were born,” says Keri Tyner of Saint John. Tyner’s twins arrived two months premature in December, weighing just three pounds each. “Braydon and Shelby spent months at the Saint John Regional Hospital, and Shelby also had to travel to the IWK for heart surgery. If we had not had access to Fuel the Care, I’m not sure how we could have been there each and every day. My hope now is that anyone who could benefit from this program is aware of it.”

 

 “This program has helped thousands of families, and I see how appreciative they are,” says Stefan Mildenberger, a Pediatric Social Worker with the Saint John Regional Hospital. “We’re grateful for Irving Oil’s generous support for this program, as it truly makes a difference for families going through a difficult time.”

Parents of children being treated at one of the following hospitals who would like more information about how to qualify for assistance from Irving’s Fuel the Care program, please call:

Founded in 1924, Irving Oil is the regional refining and marketing company serving customers in Eastern Canada, Quebec, and New England with a range of finished energy products, including gasoline, diesel, home heating fuel, jet fuel and complementary products and services. The company's network of Bluecanoe and Mainway convenience stores throughout Eastern Canada and New England offers customers a wide variety of products and services, including grocery and snack items, bakeries and convenience items, in addition to fuel. In 2003, Irving Oil became the first oil company to win a USEPA Clean Air Excellence award for its low-sulphur gasoline. 

 

For more information about Irving Oil, visit www.irvingoil.com.

 

For a photo of Braydon and Shelby Tyner, please go to www.irvingoil.com and follow the Fuel the Care link. 

 

Media Contact:

Jennifer Parker

(506) 202-2992